The Get Ireland Growing Fund run by GIY (Grow It Yourself) in partnership with Energia have announced the winners of the grants from a fund of €70,000 for 2017. Grants will be awarded to the successful food growing projects planned by community groups, schools and not-for-profit organisations all across the country.

The teams behind 85 community projects are all being granted with funds for their unique plans. Groups from Kerry to Donegal and beyond will be presented with their funding amounts ranging from €500 to €2,000.

21/03/2017. FREE TO USE IMAGES. Energia Get Ireland Growing Fund. Pictured are winners Erkina House, Co. Laois from left, Alison Canavan Wellness Coach, Sean Cooney, Karen O’Donohoe GIY and Amy OShaughnessy from Energia at the presentation of the Energia Get Ireland Growing Fund celebration. GIY and Energia are supporting community projects all across the country to the tune of 70,000, today (March 21sT) community and voluntary organisations have been granted funds to start or further develop a community food-growing project in their area. Picture: Patrick Browne 2017 Energia Get Ireland Growing fund awards grants of 70,000 to projects across 31 counties in Ireland The Energia Get Ireland Growing Fund run by GIY (Grow It Yourself) in partnership with Energia today (March 21st) awards a fund of 70,000 to food growing projects by community groups, schools and not-for-profit organisations all across the country. The teams behind 85 community projects are today all being granted with funds for their unique plans. Groups from Kerry to Donegal and beyond will be presented with their funding amounts ranging from 500 to 2,000. Projects set for support include a grow garden for the Irish Wheelchair Association Centre in Carlow, the provision of tools and seeds for the Horticulture course at the Ballymun Adult Read and Write Scheme, project funding for a community garden initiative for the South Inner City Community Development Association supporting residents of the Liberties, a food growing project for Galway Simons new Residential Service Tuí Bhrian in Galway City which currently caters for youths aged 18 to 25 years of age. In Monaghan a funding award goes to Youth Work Ireland in Clones; they plan to use a derelict piece of land behind their youth cafe to build a vegetable patch. In Kerry a funding award goes to the Recovery Haven  Organic Fruit and Veg Garden Club, the team behind the Recovery Haven Kerry Cancer S

Projects set for support include a grow garden for the Irish Wheelchair Association Centre in Carlow, the provision of tools and seeds for the Horticulture course at the Ballymun Adult Read and Write Scheme, project funding for a community garden initiative for the South Inner City Community Development Association supporting residents of the Liberties, a food growing project for Galway Simon’s new Residential Service ‘Tuí Bhrian’ in Galway City which currently caters for youths aged 18 to 25 years of age. In Monaghan a funding award goes to Youth Work Ireland in Clones; they plan to use a derelict piece of land behind their youth cafe to build a vegetable patch. In Kerry a funding award goes to the Recovery Haven – Organic Fruit and Veg Garden Club, the team behind the Recovery Haven Kerry Cancer Support house provide free cancer support services to the people of Kerry, these are just some of the many deserving projects which will be supported by the 2017 fund.

Laois

In Laois a funding award goes to the Erkina House. The team there says, “Our plan is to extend the Garden and grow more. We would hope to get our small green house repaired and put tomato plants in it. There are a number of flowerbeds in the garden and we would love to get some bulbs to plant as well as some summer flowers. The 17 residents here in Erkina House vary in their mental illness; some will help with the gardening and some with the maintenance of the flowerbeds. But all will enjoy looking at the new plants and all will enjoy eating the fruits of their labour.”

Commenting at the awards ceremony, the founder of GIY Michael Kelly said, “We are delighted to award the recipients of the 2017 Energia Get Ireland Growing fund. Today is one of those dream days at work where we help 85 community groups from all across Ireland to get their food growing initiatives underway. The number of applications we received this year has been the highest amount ever received; these motivating and creative plans, which have been outlined will have real impact for people in parishes, towns, villages and cities across 31 counties. These types of projects usually struggle to find funding and supports and we are very pleased that GIY in partnership with Energia can now support these groups to grow food in their own communities.”

Amy O’Shaughnessy from Energia “It’s been an absolute privilege for Energia to support Get Ireland Growing. We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and dedication of community groups all over Ireland and the number of applications for funding really surpassed our expectations. Energia is committed to helping our customers improve the sustainability of their homes and businesses by being more energy efficient. Our partners at GIY have now given us the opportunity to help make a real difference in towns and villages across the country through this wonderful initiative. We’d like to congratulate all today’s awardees and wish them the very best of luck with their growing projects.”

In addition to the funding provided, GIY will also provide additional supports and opportunities for knowledge exchange between the projects, helping the best ideas to be shared through ‘Energia Get Ireland Growing’. All of the projects remain part of the GIY network in the long term, giving them access to other GIY resources and additional groups and projects within the network, creating a long-term legacy.

This is the fourth year of the fund, which has already supported more than 400 community food growing projects to date, positively impacting over 100,000 people. €270,000 has been awarded over the last four years and this was distributed to projects all across the country. Some of these flagship projects include, a food growing initiave in a young persons probation centre in Cork; the installation of food gardens at Focus Ireland; an edible quayside project in county Wexford, which has seen tomatoes flourishing on the railings at the New Ross quayside, a vegetable garden for asylum seekers in Clonakilty, Cork, a horticultural project for unemployed men in Waterford that supplies salads to restaurants and a community garden to reduce isolation on Inishbofin island to name but a few.

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2017 projects, which have been awarded funding by the Energia Get Ireland Growing Fund.